The anime loosely follows the story of Castlevania 3 on the NES (gameplay below ↡)

During season 1 we meet Trevor, a member of the famous vampire hunting Belmont family. He arrives in Wallachia, a town controlled by a powerful and sinister religious group. Tensions are high and all hell breaks loose when Count Dracula makes good on his promise to get revenge on the townspeople for killing his human wife. Things get pretty bloody. Lotta monsters tearing people into pieces, etc…

Along the way he recruits the help of magician Sypha Belnades and (near the end) Drac’s own son Alucard. And, of course, the 4 episode mini-season ends just when things start getting really good. I was a little pissed they ended in the middle of the drama, but the season felt kinda like a teaser for something larger. Which makes Ellis’s tweet not-so-surprising.

Ellis says we’ll get season 2 this summer, which is just around the corner, and there will be 8 episodes instead of 4. The first season was likely a test to see how we liked a Castlevania anime, and things went well, so Netflix is moving forward with a full season. Now I’m happy again.

So what makes Castlevania so good?

It’s solid storytelling with great animation and great music… But personally I think the voice acting is what makes this show amazing. Especially Richard Armitage (aka Thorin Oakenshield) as Trevor Belmont, James Callis (aka Dr. Gaius Balter) as Alucard, and Graham McTavish (aka Dwalin) as Drac himself. Casting Hollywood talent paid off – they helped the characters come alive while amping up the show’s intensity.

So if you’re behind on your anime, be sure to catch up on Castlevania. Season 2 is tentatively scheduled for release sometime this summer and you don’t want to be behind!